Elephant population collapses under weight of poaching

Two thirds of Africa’s forest elephants have been wiped out by poaching in the last decade. An estimated 100,000 elephants have been killed by poachers in that period. The population of elephants has fallen from around 20 million animals to less than one third of a million. At current rates there will be no elephants left by 2045. The illegal trade in wild animal parts is worth 23 billion dollars each year. At $60,000 a kilo rhino horn is a big part of this. Over 1,200 rhinoceri where killed in 2015. Dr David Bowman of the University of Tasmania has suggested releasing elephants and other megafauna into the Australian wild as one possible solution.

Bring elephants to Australia?

Dr David Bowman suggests that we could save megafauna and control feral plant pests at the same time.

Prior to European Colonization, scientists believe that Africa held as many as 20 million elephants; by 1979 only 1.3 million remained — and the current census reveals Africa’s elephant population has been devastated to 352,271 animals.